Pages

Tuesday, 21 October 2014

LEGO City Arctic Outpost set 60035 Review

The LEGO City Arctic range is one that we are really keen on. It has lots of interesting vehicles and really fires the imagination. The whole range is really good value and designed for younger builders, so it has masses of playability.

The LEGO City Arctic Outpost set 60035 is designed for builders aged 5-12 and has 374 pieces. It's a bit trickier than other sets for age 5+, such as the LEGO City Arctic Ice Crawler 60033 we reviewed a while ago, but still perfectly possible for our 4 1/2 year old.

The build is rewarding throughout, with instant gratification as you see the shape of your truck and trailer almost as soon as you start to build. It uses easy techniques and very few tiny elements, which makes it much less frustrating for a young LEGO fan.

Included is a quad bike which is a great little vehicle and my 4 year old's favourite bit of the set!

There's a chunky truck with crane and the Arctic Outpost trailer with the high-tech mobile laboratory - or portacabin as they're commonly known.

There are some really nice details - the ski's on the trailer, the opening storage on the trailer, the opening storage on the truck which contains tools in a crate, and attachment points below for more tools. The drivers cab is big and the crane rotates to either side to pick up cargo, including the precious treasure inside the ice block.

The laboratory roof hinges up and the entire side is a large door that can be completely opened up for easy access to play.

Inside there is some exciting-looking equipment and the ever-present coffee mug.

This is very much a play set. The way it opens right out gives a good large area for play that can fit two children nicely.

The Arctic Outpost really fires the children's imagination and actually
expands their knowledge. We had lots of questions about what the gem or
metal was inside the ice block, and how long it might have been frozen.
Our 6 year old is fascinated by whether wheels or skis are best on the
trailer and working out when skis wouldn't work.

Thinking about how the vehicles would work if it was real has also meant the children have instantly added to the set with parts from other sets and used their problem-solving skills. We really like this set, it's one of the favourites, and I know I'll be lucky to get it into my Christmas village because they won't want to do without it.

It's very easy to see where extra elements could be added in order to make the Arctic Outpost a more complicated and detailed model, but because this set is designed for play, and for younger builders, they are fine left off. It's a rewarding and fun build and gives a really nice play set that's sturdy and full of adventure. It's a great range, and a great set, and I feel it's good value for money.

The Arctic Outpost set 60035 has an RRP of £34.99 and is available at the LEGO Shop in store or online.

About The Brick Castle

We feature play and entertainment for children and young people from tiny to teen and beyond. Skilled at Lego building, reviewing big kid toys and mending all things trodden on. Grieving the loss of our 16 year old to suicide in August 2014. I write about this occasionally, and I collect smiles as often as possible. You can find #TBCSmiles on the blog and my Instagram every 15th of the month - everyone is welcome to share their smiles.

Mainly my own content with an occasional guest post to put food on the table. If I didn't write it, they'll have certainly paid me to host it.